Daily diary in Malawi, Africa, Wednesday 29 October 2014.
In memoriam Bro. Nicholas Zumanaa, FIC. (lihat versi Bahasa Indonesia)

1. Today is a free day in the sense that I don't teach at Blantyre Teacher Training College. I use this time to attend Provincial Council Meeting in Mzedi. I left Blantyre at 08.00 and coming back at 17.45. Soon after arrival, I got phone call on the demise of our fellow Brother Nicholas Zumanaa. It a surprise because we just met him this month.

2. Five weeks ago, on Wednesday October 1, 2014 at 15.00 I got phone call from Ghana, informed me that Bro. Nicholas Zumanaa was at Chileka Airport, Blantyre. I rushed to airport and met him, sitting in the wheel chair. He has cancer and was admitted at the hospital in Cape Town South Africa . He came to visit us and at the same time to rest for a couples of days. In fact he sent email to me, copy to Bro. Henri Anthony but both of us did not receive it due to wrong addresses.

3. It was a beautiful time to live and chat together with him. Although he was sick, his memory was still very good and as usual he made jokes. He was well known by all Malawian Brothers. I met him first time on August 1985, 29 years ago in the Netherlands. By that time I was there on my way to Zambia, Africa and he was there on his way back to Ghana from study in USA. When he was a member of General Council and I was a member of Provincial Council Malawi, we met several times especially during canonical visitations and other official meetings. In the year 2000, I went to Ghana for formation Team meeting and it was him who initiated the join formation Ghana-Malawi. We chatted together, remembering all these encounters. In 2010 when I went to Ghana again, I met him at Nandom. By then he was the headmaster of Nandom Secondary School.

4.Two days before departure for South Africa we proposed him to fly together with one of the Malawian brothers. He refused. Then we proposed to change the ticket into business class so that he could get a better treatment at Chileka airport, Johanesburg Airport and Capetown airport. He accepted. We were very happy indeed. At the airport he was welcomed by nurses with wheelchair. He left Malawi on Monday October 6, 2014, not knowing it was the farewell for good. Bro. Nicholas it was simply an honour to meet you in Malawi and thank you for your sharing that inspires us. May you rest in peace......

Bro. Martin Dariyo, Malawi.

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Catatan harian di Malawi, Afrika, Rabu 29 Oktober 2014.
Mengenang sesama bruder Nicholas Zumanaa FIC.

Seperti biasanya, hari Rabu adalah hari khusus untuk urusan konggregasi dan karena itu saya tidak mengajar di Blantyre PGSD. Hari ini meninggalkna bruderan jam 08.00 dan setelah rapat langsung pulang dan tiba di rumah jam 17.45, jam 18.00 ada misa komunitas. Saat tida dirumah mendapat berita telephon bhw Bruder dari Ghana, Nikolas Zumanaa meninggal dunia. Tentru saja terkejut sebab kami baru saja ketemu dia awal bulan ini.

Lima minggu yang lalu, tepatnya tgl 1 Oktober 2014, saya dapat telephon dari Ghana, memberitahu bahwa Nicholas sedang menanti jemputan di Chileka Airport, Blantyre. Saya segera berangkat ke bandara dan menemui Niko duduk di kursi roda. Sebenanrnya dia udah kirim email kepadaku dan Br. Henri tetapi kami berdua nggak menerima. Salah alamat.

Bruder ini sedang dalam perawatan di rumah sakit "kanker" di Capetown, Afrika Selatan. Dia datang ke Malawi untuk menemui para bruder Malawi dan sekedar untuk istirahat beberapa hari. Niko dikenal baik oleh semua bruder Malawi. Saya bertemu Niko pertama di negeri Belanda bulan Agustus 1985. Waktu itu saya mampir Negeri Belanda dalam perjalanan ke tanah misi Zambia, Afrika dan Niko juga mampir di biara indulk dalam perjalanan pulang ke Ghana dari Amerika Serikat, tempat menimba ilmu.

Waktu dia menjadi anggota Dewan Umum, dan saya menjadi anggota Dewan Provinsi kita sering bertemu khususnya pada saat visitasi kanonik dan rapat2 kongregasi yang lain. Tahun 2000 saya datang di Ghana untuk pertama kalinya dan rapat formatio. Dialah yang mengambil inisiatip gabungan formatio Ghana-Malawi. Kedatangan beliau di Malawi sungguh merupakan berkah bagi kami. Niko sangat ramah, punya segudang pengalaman, rendah hati, dan suka ngobrol. Tahun 2010 ketika saya datang di Ghana untuk kedua kalinya, kami bertemu di komunitas Nandom. Waktu itu dia adalah kepala sekolah SMA Katholik Nandom.

Dua hari sebelum kembali ke Capetown saya menunjuk seorang bruder Malawi untuk mengantar Niko sampai Capetown. Dia menolak. tetapi ketika saya menawarkan untuk ganti karcis dengan penumpang busi kelas, dia menerima. Karcis dengan business class mendapat perawatan khusus. Dia dijemput perawat dengan kursi roda di bandara Chileka, Yohaneburg dan Capetown. Senin 6 Oktober 2014, dia kembali ke rumah sakit di Capetown Afrika Selatan. Ternyata ini adalah perpisahan terakhir. Niko Zumanaa, Selamat Jalan, terima kasih atas curhat curhat yang sungguh memperkaya dan bahkan membangkitkan semangat kami............................
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Blantyre 29 October 2014. Bro. Martinus Dariyo